Mr. Middle

Last summer, I dove into Blended Learning by taking part in a book study while reading "Blended Learning In Action" and transformed my classroom from being the "sage on stage" to the "guide on the side" much more often. At the same time, I was intrigued by gamification, but was a overwhelmed in taking on the project in the same year, and was set on diving in the next (this) summer! Over the past year, I have lurked in #xplap's Tuesday night Twitter chat, met Jennifer Ledford (another gamifier), and have been inspired by Mike Matera and his amazing work and products he puts out there for all to use and learn from!

I'll admit, I've definitely been a lurker in #xplap, but this is only because I didn't speak the language of gamifiers and felt a bit intimidated by the whole conversation. Nevertheless, I love the chat and the community surrounding Mike Matera's book, Explore Like a Pirate. They are both supportive to those new to gamification and innovative in their crafting of exciting engaging games in their classrooms for their students. Jennifer Ledford, from #4ocfpln, has been nothing but kind and supportive me as I have slowly waded the mysterious waters of gamification. While talking to her, I can hear the excitement and engagement in her own voice, and am excited to jump into this on my own. Lastly, #DitchSummit was one of the best experiences of personal professional development I have had this year. Among many other presenters, listening to Mike Matera's story and experiences of gamification "gave me the itch" to start gamifying this past year on a small scale, but, regretfully, never got the ball rolling. I'll be jumping in full-fledged after navigating the engrossing pages of Explore Like a Pirate this summer.

This summer, before binging Explore Like a Pirate, I had the privilege of hearing Tisha Richmond share her story of gamification in her culinary arts classroom. Again, stories of amazing student engagement! Perhaps the most touching part of Tisha's story is when she talked about creating memories in the classroom. If we aren't mindful of memory-making, students will go an entire year without making one worthwhile memory. How sad would this be? The beauty of gamification is that, not only is it an experience in and of itself, it lends to so many memorable experiences throughout the year along the journey. After getting home from ISTE, I dove into Explore Like a Pirate as part of a book study led by Katelyn Callahan and several other educators including Mr. Matera himself. It's been the perfect group of companions as we all embark on this gamification journey together! The book has been the perfect field guide to aid in creating the game I plan to use in my classroom this year! I plan to go back many times throughout the year looking for ideas for game mechanics and mini-games!

I won't bore you with every detail of the mechanics behind the game, but share some my takeaways and details about the game I have started to craft for this coming year.

First of all, gamification is not simply the use of games in the classroom. I learned this very early in my lurking days of #xplap: Gamification is the overlay of game mechanics (from video games, board games, card games, etc) on top of already existing classroom curriculum and procedures. I'm not a super gamer, but have played my fair share of video games ranging from Mario Kart 64 to Pokemon Go and MLB the Show 18. I'm so excited that I can finally cash in on the many hours of experience using these games. Alright, maybe it won't entirely make up for these hours spent lost in games, but it has definitely made this gamification journey easier. I'll be including game mechanics such as XP, leveling up, badges, and Easter Eggs. This is an ambitious beginning, but with a slow roll out, I hope it will come together.

Next, I keep hearing two very valuable pieces of advice when it comes to gamification: "Start Small" & "Start with a theme" you are passionate about. I guess starting small doesn't work for everyone. I've had a blast creating the game world thus far because the theme has been so easy to connect with: Marvel. The story has been writing itself! Again, hours of Netflix movie and series binging is bearing its fruit!

Here is the story of the game in a nutshell:

The students have been recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D. to fight against evil. They have become superhuman themselves and gained powers after explosure to terragin.

They will work in teams, each team under a different Avenger (Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Black Widow, and Iron Man - these are likely to fluxuate a little.)

The goal is to accumulate more XP by completing missions, secret missions, winning battles, and whatever else pops up so that new S.H.I.E.L.D. agents can move up in clearance levels. They can top out as being a member of the World Security Council (Level 12).

I will surely be sharing updates about my journey into a gamified classroom throughout the year, but this is where it all begins. I am having so much fun putting it all together!

"Little by little, one travels far." ​Tolkien

Very excited for the journey my students and I will be embarking on! Hoping this journey is memorable and an experience my students will one day look back on fondly. One step at a time. ​

First of all, thanks to the #4ocfpln for establishing the "Blogging Challenge!" In an effort to record and reflect on our own learning and practices, the goal is to blog at least once ever two weeks. I'm going to try to keep up my end of the bargain, but life is about to get pretty crazy as I move to Philly in about three weeks! Perhaps this is actually the best time to reflect? Nevertheless, thanks to the #4ocfpln for encouraging my continued stretching and learning beyond what I thought was possible.

This year, my #OneWord2018 has been "adventure" and this summer has been no exception. (1) I just returned less than two weeks ago from a cross-country road trip to Chicago for the ISTE Conference (I still intend to blog about these experiences!). (2) I'm moving to a new city for a new job in the leg leg of my career. (3) Finally, my intellectual adventure this summer has comprised of much reading! 5 books! I've literally never read so much in my life. Not even hyperbole here. I've finished Bold School and Explore Like a Pirate! I'm currently working on Genius Hour, Shake Up Learning, and Mathematical Mindsets, the subject of this blog.

A couple years ago, my first-year mentor had mentioned reading the book, Mathematical Mindsets, and it really challenging her thinking. I love when inherently bright people are always pushing their thinking! First of all, I am so fortunate to have had the mentor I had because she is always willing to push the envelope in doing what is right for students, even when others don't quite understand the why. She understands the why. She is always ahead of the curve when it comes to best practices. She had read Mathematical Mindsets long before I knew of its status of being a contemporary must-read. Recently, my #PLF also studied the book on Voxer as well and shared glowing reviews. I'm not going to lie. I wish I had joined and experienced #FOMO, but there was just too much happening in my life at the time! Nevertheless, I have jumped in this summer and it has already changed my mindset when it comes to math instruction which is perfect because I am gearing up to teach 5th grade inclusively this year, including Math.

I'm going to reflect on the two biggest "Aha!" moments for me thusfar in the reading. First of all, there is no such truth to there being "math brains" and "non-math brains." People are not inherently good or bad at math. Also, the delivery methods for math must be shifted from the spoon-feeding variety to a more inquiry based model.

I had been led to believe that some students were just never going to "get math." I definitely never gave up on students and their ability to conquer a skill as I would continue to work beyond class hours, oftentimes, but I don't think I truly believed all students have the innate capacity to conquer math. Thankfully, I have only taught math three of my first five years, but at the same time I have taught math three years!! Oh boy! This means there is much room to change my approach going forward.

​How can students succeed in a difficult subject if they do not believe they can "do" math, let alone believe the teacher believes that they can "do" math? Going forward, it is my goal to start with mindsets at the beginning of the year. We need to shift from believing that struggles and mistakes are a barrier to "doing math" and realize that they are actually the threshold to understanding. When students do not make mistakes, they are not learning, nor making new synapse connections. It is my hope that students frame the year as a process oriented toward learning and struggling(!). Too often, we, as a society, want to shield students from hardship or tough times, but it is through "fire" that we are refined. Students must struggle in order to learn!

While reading Mathematical Mindsets, there have been many moments where I have had to take a hard swallow and recognize the error in my ways. While this is not entirely my fault, math instruction had been modeled in only one way throughout my life as a student, and then teacher. The teacher gave examples, the students copied, then the students would complete sample problems exactly like the problems done by the teacher. While this works for some including myself (until Calculus), it does exactly THAT! Works for some. This oft-done teaching strategy results in many students passively sitting in class while not understanding the math at hand because they are not given a chance to grapple with the concept.

In Mathematical Mindsets, Jo Boaler talks about an open approach to math where students are not given the answers to all problems and there is not even always one clearly defined answer. Students need to wrestle and reason through tough processes in math. If is given to them, there are very few mistakes made, synapses are not being fired, and learning is not happening. One simple (but massive) paradigm shift struck me. Let's toss out examples and practice problems... Before introducing a concept, give the students a problem that they can reason through... to the point they need the new mathematical principle. Once they get to the part of the problem that requires the new skill or mathematical principle, this is the teacher's opportunity to strike gold. Teach the missing concept or principle! Students are much more engaged and are looking for this lesson from the teacher without it being spoon-fed without context.

I can't say I have mastered this or even tried it, but it has definitely changed my mindset in teaching math. In the end, they can do it and let them wrestle it. I am so excited to finish reading this book. Not going to lie, when I have other things going on, I experience major #FOMO because I am not diving deeper, but alas, I have some time to dive a little more in today.

p.s. No idea why I included cat memes. I am not a cat person, but they seemed to fit. ;)

Sharing a quick series of blog updates here! Moving to Philadelphia where I will be teaching 5th grade! I am so excited for the opportunity to learn and grow alongside my new students. Not naive in my new adventure, but ready for anything. Here are some pictures of move in day from early June! More to come. There is much potential and I'm excited to see where this goes! Can't wait to get in there to start organizing and making it home for the students and I! I'm sure there will be more updates to come! :)

This was a year of many wonderful times, and many challenges. If you didn't know, I have decided to switch schools and have taken a position with the School District of Philadelphia as a 5th grade teacher. I am so excited for this new opportunity, and am a bit nostalgic as I look back on the past 4 years.

I have been so blessed to have earned my first full time teaching position at this school. So thankful for the wonderful families and their support over the years. I will miss the students the most. It's always been about the students. In retrospect, a dropped Chromebook or a few instances of plagiarism is really frustrating, but it does not affect the relationships formed which matter most in the end. I pray, that through the grace of God, I was able to make a difference and encourage my students to be the best that they can be using their God-given gifts.

These guys were special. I taught the seventh graders in 4th, 6th, and 7th grades. I taught the 6th graders in 4th and 6th grades. In a sense, they were my firsts. The seventh graders were my first 4th grade as a long-term sub. The 6th graders were my first class as a full-time teacher. I will miss these guys tremendously! I am grateful that I am moving less than two hours away, and hope to be back for their respective 8th grade graduations!

I am so excited to move forward, but know that it is important to count my blessings. There have been countless. Thank you St. Leo's.

For starters, I am very surprised by my thinking after thinking this one out...

Disclaimer #1: I guess it should be noted that my thinking is continually evolving, especially listening to my brilliant edu-friends hash it out all day! My thinking is always being shifted, so if there is any push back, please share!

Disclaimer #2: I'm not a cognitive scientist! These thoughts have come through conversation with other educators, personal experience, and reflection!

As usual, the #4ocf Voxer Group has really challenged and transformed my thinking on this topic. I presented the graphic (below) last evening half-joking, but curious about the response of others in regard to this seemingly antiquated styled assignment. "MEMORIZE THE PREAMBLE."

I can recall in high school memorizing the Gettysburg Address (Mostly memorizing... I think I got an 85%? Can you really assess memorization quantitatively in this fashion? Not a discussion for now!) and Annabel Lee by Poe. Memorization and recitation has always caused me great angst. In high school, I performed in one fall play and three musicals with two leads over the years. Each time... great anxiety over the memorization of lines. All this being said, the assignment posted below made me cringe and laugh (due to the "all-or-nothing" nature of it.

So... What's the verdict? To memorize? Or, not to memorize?

Again, presenting some ideas here that challenged my own thinking today as to why memorization of facts is not the evil which I had previously believed.

Start With Why

I'll admit, I'm not doing this continual metacognition and reflection, but am becoming better! Is the end goal rote memorization? Is your only goal to have them recite and regurgitate with little other thinking? If so, have at it!

Or, when it comes to something such as the Preamble, is the goal a deeper understanding of the principles that lay within? If so, you may want to reconsider the type of memorization your students are doing in the classroom.

Can deeper understanding happen through pure rote memorization?Maybe? For some? Usually no. Not for me, that's for sure. Students should be tearing apart the content or text. Analyzing. Reflecting. Creating. For example, the teacher could be asking... how are the principles found in the Preamble being applied today in government? Are they being applied?

Maybe students are memorizing in class, but more as a fruit of deeper learning. I have no problem with this!

Passions

Matt and Rachelle spoke this evening of memorization happening in conjunction with your passions and leisure activities. I mentioned earlier that I have some background in theater. Despite memorization being semi-nightmarish and nerve wracking for me, in the end, some of my best memories occurred on stage performing in Beauty and the Beast as Maurice (Bell's dad) or in Music Man. Memorization was not the end goal here, but rather the end goal was owning the story and sharing in this story line with others on stage and with the audience.

Pictured here with two of my good friends from the show, Matt (Lafoo) and Elizabeth (Babette). As my senior gift to the concert choir director, I framed the mustache we had named "Walrus." Oh the things we do when we're young. ;)

Similar experiences were mentioned by formed marching band member. Routines and music must be memorized in order to put on the performance. Again, the end goal is the experience and to entertain, and not necessarily the memorization in and of itself.

Having played baseball for many years, signs were a key part of the game. You needed to memorize the signs. Believe it or not, back in the day I was a base stealer (when I was a skinny kid)! Knowing and memorizing the third base coach's signs are key to any team's success!

Nevertheless, Matt helped me to understand that memorization occurs when you want to and when you need. Again, in these cases, memorization was not the end goal.

You need to have a little filing cabinet in your head!

Is memorization even necessary at this point? Yes! It is necessary that every human has some bank of knowledge in their brains! Whether it is your address, telephone number, favorite sports players, times tables, etc. There are most definitely times to memorize these facts. When it comes to our jobs and responsibilities. I sure hope my doctor has memorized his treatment plans or procedures! I hope administration and teachers have memorized most security protocols! Memorization is necessary. It happens. Maybe not through rote practice, but through experience. Nevertheless, memorization happens.

Also, as functioning contributing members of society, we need to (and do) develop some sort of schema! We need some degree of background knowledge when it comes to our every day tasks and responsibilities. What sort of society would we live in if nobody was informed on any issues? Policies? Basic scientific, economic, government-related principles? (For those who believe we are already there, this is a debate for another time. ;) ) What if we relied on Google to recall any basic fact? We would be mindless. Not good, especially in the age of AI! There needs to be, and there will be due to one's life experience, some degree of memorization.

That about wraps it up... Memorization is still necessary!

I only reflected on a few of the points that stuck out to me throughout today's conversation, but there are many other facets of this conversation. I didn't do the exchange justice, but I needed to get down my thoughts because I knew I would not remember otherwise.

I'm surprised to have come to this conclusion (at least at this time). Memorization is necessary. It happens through our human experience and helps us to live fuller and more rich lives by applying what we know. As with anything, it should, and usually does, have purpose. As educators, if ever assigning something such as that seen above, we need to reflect on the WHY. What is the end goal? What's your purpose?

Whew! It's been a while...

I've meant to check in recently! I didn't realize it had been so long. I actually forgot to reflect on my experience at Ed Camp AoP, where I met Rachel Murat in person, again! We were able to talk teaching over a yummy desert at Perkins. (#notsketch) What a privilege! Such a brilliant mind. The ability to collab with Rachel in person is something that I never would have imagined before teaching and in my first few years in the classroom. In the past couple years, my professional learning network (PLN) on Twitter and Voxer have filled me to the brim with excitement and a drive to always be the best I can be as an educator. This is my 5th year, 4th full year, teaching. I can look back at my first couple years teaching when collaboration meant bouncing ideas off the one or couple teachers who were generous enough to give of their time to share with the excited newbie in the building. Today, collaboration means sharing with hundreds, if not thousands some weeks, of teachers in a week via social media.

I have found a PL(F)amily!

A couple months ago, I joined an incredible community of teachers in a #4ocf Voxer Book Study. The 4 O'Clock Faculty is written by Rich Czyz, also a part of the study. The book revolutionizes the traditional paradigm of PD in the school setting and, for some, introduced PD on a personal level. This book study has come and gone, but this group of educators has transitioned into an incredible support network, and a family of sorts! I'm likely the baby in the group, but I am SO thankful to be amongst such brilliant minded educators always looking to push the limits. Every day, I look forward to hearing the conversation between these friends from afar. (Yes - always a conversation before I'm even awake at 6:30am EST. (Usually @emerced_learning or @CoachJonCraig!) In the past couple months, I have found some great friends in the field who have challenged me to think beyond the status quo and seek what is best for my students. The support is tremendous. I'll go as far as mentioning, when I was having a tough time at school, one of the group members side-voxed me to "pray over" me. I was almost brough to tears on my commute home. This book study, turned "think tank," has turned into an incredible PL(F)amily! I'm still not quite sure how to explain this group to my professional colleagues (book study group? voxer group/friends? I've tried a bunch!) in my building, but I know that they are a second family, of sorts.

I realize everything has its season. This incredible community will not stay the same forever; it will change, grow, evolve... My biggest takeaway is the need to surround myself with educators who will challenge me in my thinking and support me. They do say, afterall, that you are what you eat. You are the top five people you surround yourself with. I aspire to be more like these amazing experienced educators everday!

Every professional, whether educator or not, needs to find this network, or family.

We must be fed. We must be challenged. We must grow together. The learning does not stop here. So thankful for this group of amazing educators.

What a great day. Long day, but a great one. This was the first EdCamp I have attended where I knew I would be meeting some other educators from my PLN including Rachel Murat (@MrsMurat), Maureen Hayes (@mhayes611), Matt Larson (@mlarson_nj), and Rich Czyz (@RACzyz). After meeting these virtual friends and colleagues for the first time and others as well, I joked with my mom that perhaps this is what online dating is like! Ha!

As I did with my EdCampNJ post, I'll just walk through my sessions and share my takeaways!

Session 1: Your mindset your grading... who benefits?

This session was actually an extension of a conversation that I had been part of on the #4ocf Voxer group throughout most of this week regarding grades, assessment, and shifting the current paradigm.

While I'm not sure session went exactly as Matt had planned, I'd venture to point out that it was exactly the conversation that we were supposed to be having this morning. I did not necessarily leave with much new to consider, but I loved the continued reminder that learning happens throughout the process. The graphic below is inspired by Neel Desai.

This is a dialogue that needs to continuing. Grades are not the be all, end all. Mastery learning is the objective. Keep spreading the truth, guys!

I was actually surprised by this session. I went in not thinking I would gather too much, but as expected just because I considered myself pretty well informed with Mystery Skype and similar ideas, but I was proven wrong. Jeanne Muzi and Micheal Dunlea presented their experiences in breaking down the walls of the classroom to expose students to the real world around them. First of all, we were reminded it is required for most of by our standards to facilitate these connections with students with students in other communities in our country and around the world. Therefore, we should probably be doing something about it, and technology only maes this easier and more dynamic! Some tools to check out in the future include: Microsoft for Education Skype Community, National Geographic Explorers in the classroom, and Epatico (a new and and improving "match-making" service between classrooms for collaborative purposes. Check it out for more info!)

Session 3: Innovator's Mindset. How do we get there?

This session, led by the charismatic and engaging Chris Duane, required some real critical thinking and collaboration. I was privileged to work with Paul O'Neill, who I had met minutes before at our half-time collaborative break. Our challenge was to create a pyramid out of the following words: How can we, as a collective, arrive at the final stage of "Innovation and Divergent Thinking?" ​

Top words should read: Innovation/Divergent Thinking. This reflects Paul and I's discussions, but there really is no correct answer.

(Disclaimer: The requirements actually stated we could not have two elements at the bottom.)

Paul and I went back and forth. He is a very wise guy! We came to the conclusion that there could be multiple paths to the final destination: having a student-centered mindset or having effective leadership fostering a community of teachers aimed at approaching the goal. Whether it be a fruit of your own student-centered and personal growth mindset or the leadership of building, the climate and culture of the building/classroom can lend to empowering professional/personal development that allows for teachers to stretch their thinking and become those "divergent thinkers." I shouldn't speak for Paul because there was definitely much more to our conversation than what is said here. We both agreed that these words could not really be placed in a pyramid, but rather a "feeder system" (as Paul suggested) or as part of a cycle. You really cannot reach the final destination without the other elements of the process. They're all part of a co-dependent system.

Session 4: Hyperdocs and student voice

This session was led by Rachel Murat. She is so forward thinking and student-centered in her philosophy. So inspiring! She has actually helped me before over Twitter and I was so fortunate to meet her in person today! There were many practical pointers and some answers to my "nitty gritty" questions - sorry to the newbies!! Perhaps the most valuable takeaway from this session is the question that Rachel asks her students during her Hyperdocs lesson: "Where are your gaps in understanding?" I guess I have strayed from this question in the past out of fear that it could be insulting, but why beat around the bush? Make it clear to the students that you are focused on mastery. Such a practical use of the time I am already spending conferencing. So much to learn from Rachel! I have already asked her to rejoin Voxer so that we can collaborate on this platform as well in the future! Thanks for sharing your gifts and talents with us, Mrs. Murat!

Conclusion

Another great day! Many takeaways. So great to meet my virtual PLN in person! Looking forward to use these experiences in my classroom to continue fostering learning for my students.

This past week, I was so excited to record with Jim Sturtevant on his podcast, Hacking Engagement. Jim invited a few student and I to share some things I've been doing in my classroom. I've been listening to Jim's podcast since the spring and have been inspired in so many ways to better engage my students. I love that the podcast not only includes REAL teachers' stories but REAL STUDENTS' STORIES! So much of the content Jim puts out there is so applicable to my class as he is also a social studies teacher, albeit in high school. I am so inspired with Jim's continued dedication to be the best educator he can be! He seems to have every bit of passion he had on day one of his career! I aspire to be like this! Jim and I connected on Twitter this summer... I forget what the connection was, but we ended up talking about a prospective project I had in mind: a movie critique involving contemporary movies in the mainstream. I wasn't quite sure what the project would entail, but the cogs were turning in my mind.

I teach two 6th grade Geography classes and I was inspired to include this assignment in the Human Geography Chapter CYOA Menu.

So, what did the "Movie Critique Assignment" look like?

You are hired as a film critic! There are so many films out there that depict history, people in history, events, and/or different cultures. Your challenge is to identify what those movies “got right” and what they “got wrong.”

This assignment will need to be completed at least partly at home, if you choose it.

Choose one movie rated PG or G (No PG-13 or R) (Note: I teach 6th grade, hence the strict requirements) that takes place in a country other than the United States. (You may need to do a little research first to find a movie.) See if you have any movies at home either on DVD or on Netflix. Please have your movie pre-approved by Mr. Soper before watching. The movie should also be approved by your parents.

You will be watching and observing the culture as portrayed in your movie. Feel free to take notes throughout the movie of parts of culture that are evident.

After the movie, you will write a reflection paper sharing what you have learned and observed.

In your reflection, you should included the following:(Should be completed using Google Docs. You will need to create your own doc, then share.)

PARAGRAPH ONE sharing 7-10 DETAILS from the movie that reflect an element of culture from that country. (Think back to Section 2 - e.g. Arts, Food, customs, etc.)

In your reflection, you must share the detail and its significance. For example, after watching Aladdin, one may say, “Aladdin wears harem pants which were originally worn by Persian people and are very colorful. They are traditionally worn in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.” (I used Google to learn what these pants were called.)

PARAGRAPH TWO sharing what you believe the film portrayed incorrectly or correctly. Try to include at least three details from the film

For example, did they eat foods that were not traditionally eaten in that country? Do they wear clothes that are not traditionally from that country? Be creative! This part of the assignment will STRETCH your thinking.

When finished, be sure to share your assignment with Mr. SoperANDon Seesaw.

You can see my CYOA Menu for this Chapter here. Always a work in progress! Take a look!

How did this go over with the students?

From the introduction of this project, students were hooked! Students were psyched with the possibility of watching a movie they loved as a part of a class assignment! For days, I was getting questions such as, "Mr. Soper, can I do this movie? Do you think this movie will have enough cultural elements? When can I get started?" Engagement. Win #1!

After students watched the movie at home, we worked on the critiques for three days in class. They watched movies such as Snow White (Germany), Moana (Pacific Islands), and Beauty in the Beast (France), to name only a few. The students took their notes at home and "went to town!" (Yes... they did this at home. Logistics make it near impossible to do this at school, so I sent this assignment home even though I have been transitioning more and more toward the #ditchhw end of the spectrum...)

Throughout the workshop periods, I conferenced with all my students regarding the CYOA assignment that they had chosen to work on. I noticed an uptick in excitement especially from those students who had chosen the "movie critique." These students were able to take a passion (favorite movie) and apply to what we were learning in the classroom. With this engagement, students did such a wonderful job in observing those cultural elements (language, architecture, clothing, etc.) evident in the movie. Many students looked at these popular movies from a completely new perspective and learned much in the process. WIN #2!

I look forward to using this assignment again, both in this exact context but also in my US History classes! I believe there was such high engagement with this project due to the degree of choice. Still, the assignment has the potential to be a major success when using with any mainstream film in the classroom! (Ideas floating around my head: Saving Private Ryan and Pearl Harbor, Hacksaw Ridge, to name a few...) We need to bring the world the students are already consuming into the world of our classrooms!

Can't wait to try to this again! Close to max engagement with this one!

For starters...

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you to Matt Miller of Ditch that Textbook and all those who contributed to the Summit this year! Ditch Summit 2017 was my first time participating in the event! So glad I did! I missed the first year. While I was initially hesitant about the timing in the second half of December, I found it to be the perfect timing for this event at the beginning of winter and the heart of Christmas Break away from school. This event brings together educators from around the country and WORLD to be empowered as educators and better our students in our classrooms. While I was not as involved as I wanted to be on Twitter throughout, there was a vibrant community of participants out there lighting up the #ditchsummit hashtag throughout the event! There was also the Flipgrid component, I wish I could have participated in more throughout Ditch Summit. Perhaps, next year I will be better!

(Ditchsummit.com)

I wanted to use this space to reflect on some of my biggest takeaways from Ditch Summit! There was so much! I couldn't possibly reflect on each session! Seriously... So many nuggets of wisdom and experience shared by lead educators!

How to Make Learning a Game ​(Mike Matera on 12/23/17)

Personally, this session was perhaps the most empowering! It is actionable and I have resolved to dive into gamification more deeply! I've seen the word, gamification, floating around the Twitterverse and edCamps, but have not delved much into it because of other endeavors this year. In passing, I've thought of using badging as a way to gamify the classroom. After hearing Mr. Mike Matera introduce gamification, I realized that I naively considered badging because I saw gamification as too difficult as a whole. Mike mentioned that badging was only one possibility inside a gamified classroom.

Mike's explanation of gamification being an overlay on top of the current classroom structure makes the idea gamification less of a fantasy, and much more attainable and practical to me. While I will likely not employ gamification this school year, I am much more confident I can this introduce next year. I will try to pilot for a unit later in the year!

The emphasis on choosing a theme seems integral to a gamified classroom. It seems that a theme would make "introducing/creating game mechanics" more smooth in the greater context of the classroom. For example, I have been brainstorming my 6th Grade geography classes' gamification being based on student passports which show learning and exploration around the world. Work in progress.... But, somewhere to start! With a theme in mind, game mechanics would be more focused and thematic. This is a starting point, and we will see where it ends up!

There is so much to be said about this... but this is only a space for short reflection! I look forward to reading Explore Like a Pirate in the near future, then hopefully gamifying in the coming year! In the end, the goal of gamification is HIGHER ENGAGEMENT, not just one more thing for a teacher to do. I'm always looking for strategies to engage students in the content and hopefully ways to allow them to ENJOY their time in my classroom!

The Science of Happiness for Teachers and Students​(Kim Strobel - 12/16/17)

There were so many nuggets in here, with great insight from Matt Miller and guest, Kim Strobel. On a personal level, the message of knowing when to say, "No," resounded in my mind. I'm in my fourth year of full-time teaching and find myself blurring the lines of professional and personal lives. There are really no hard lines that determine when I go home. I can completely relate the notion of feeling so accomplished and put together after putting in many hours of work on a weeknight of weekend.

I'll admit that my schedule this year has been non-conducive to being as productive as I have in years past. Tutoring, teaching Science Explorers Club, leading monthly tech training, monthly faculty meetings, and taking my sister(s) home from school have not allowed me to work as late at school as I have in the past. This shortened time during the day has led to some late nights or long(er) days on the weekends.

In the end, my goal is balance. I find myself swaying toward one end of the spectrum or the other. Either too much time on personal or professional, and not enough on the other. I need to find balance, and find joy in knowing that I am doing the best that I can.

How to Make Learning Really Stick for Your Students(Pooja Agarwal - Date ?)

All the sessions were fantastic, but I wanted to reflect on this session as my third and final reflection because this "brain science" is definitely new to me and I hope to integrate and guide my practices in the classroom by current "brain science." I have heard Pooja speak before on the Cult of Pedagogy Podcast, so I was a little familiar with her ideas already. Jennifer Gonzalez also often refers to to current "brain research" and its relation to teaching/learning. I'll admit: I am very curious about this, but I just don't always have the time to delve into this, and am grateful that Pooja Agarwal has made her work very accessible for teachers on her website, Retrieval Practice.

First of all, I love being reminded of the practice of "retrieval practice" often in multiple settings! In short, or my simple teacher-speak, students learn/memorize best when they are often and actively recalling facts from content instruction. They build connections of neurons in their brains by recalling (even trying to recall...) this information. So often, when thinking of the scope of three very expansive Social Studies curricula, one (MYSELF) can become bogged by the sheer amount of information that needs to be presented and assessed throughout the year. If I am covering the content at 110mph in the fast lane, without time to spiral and recall, there is not much being retained by students in the short-term, let alone long-term.

Pooja and Matt discuss many ways a teacher can do this "retrieval practice" in the classroom. The key is: LOW STAKES. I've begun to give 2, 3, or 4 question "quizzes" to start the class asking students to "retrieve" big ideas from the previous day's lesson or perhaps a big idea that is being spiraled. (Usually ungraded - I'm wrestling with this, as some students do not put in effort if they know there is not the "grade." This is where gamification and XP comes in next year!) For example, as we learn about Canada's physical geography this week, and some of today's retrieval questions included:

Which ocean lies to the north of Canada?

What is a major industry off the eastern coast of Canada in the Grand Banks?

What physical effects do the oceans have on parts of Canada?

There are varying degrees of thinking orders here here ranging from rote to deeper thinking. To be honest, there is usually more rote as I want students to have much success with "retrieval practice" in class. I'll toy with this going forward! In the end, the students are making the neuron pathways (I HOPE!) so that they will remember the content in the future... Beyond the classroom.

I'm by no means an expert in "retrieval practice," but am going to continually look to try to integrate best practices in regard to "brain research" in my classroom. After all, isn't this the goal? Students remembering content that they acquire in my class? Might as well use the strategies and tools that are best for the brain!

In Conclusion...

There were several other amazing presentations at Ditch Summit 2017, that I could also lengthily reflect upon, but won't right now. I am so grateful for this opportunity to stretch my thinking and learn alongside other educators, especially during this crazy holiday season! I look forward to piloting gamification in my class, seeking joy/balance in my life, and applying current brain research, specifically retrieval practice, in my classroom in 2018 and beyond. Thank you to Matt Miller and all those presenters who shared their abundant wisdom with the educator community!

One of the elements of Blended Learning which I have steadfastly held onto is student directed path, and with that, student choice. As I have alluded to, I have had much success in mixing up assessments in providing choices for students to show their learning at the end of each chapter. This is not new; teachers have been providing menus to students for quite a while. (I was in high school back in the late 2000's and unfortunately never saw these from my teachers, but know that menus even predate my time in high school.)

Traditionally in a Social Studies Classroom, each chapter or unit ends with a summative test and sometimes supplemented by a singular result-oriented project (e.g. everyone create a diorama, Slides presentation, poster, etc. Oh my gosh. I've found grading thirty of the same project can be sooooo boring. Can't imagine how some teachers have found any semblance of enjoyment in grading 100+ of the same project!!).

I've found that the understanding of Social Studies content and standards cannot be solely assessed by assigning objective multiple choice, short answer tests/assessments. Some students cannot retain all these random facts, then apply in a short burst (class period) of time only to never use again. I mean... I (begrudgingly) admit only a small percentage of my students have been applying material outside the classroom (e.g. making connections to material, sharing learning, etc.) beyond what they are expected to know for tests. That small percentage of students is only applying a small amount of the material they have retained from class. How can I boost this?! Change this paradigm!? Most students are just not using/applying the curation of random facts and information spewed by Social Studies teachers around the world. This must change!

Disclaimer: Granted, I have no data to support these specific conjectures, but there is plenty of data in the area of student memory. It's not pretty. Sorry (not sorry!) "old-school lecture-and-regurgitate" oriented educators!

I have come to the conclusion in this makerspace culture that students need to be creating. Students need to be teaching one another, creating media showing their learning, then sharing this created content with an authentic audience. (Am I doing this perfectly yet? No! Am I making slow progress? Yes!)

I digress. In my Social Studies Class, I have assigned several CYOA assignments in this first trimester and have seen much success so far. This week, I saw the fruits of student engagement in CYOA at Student-led conferences. Students were proud and excited to share with parents the choices that they had made in showing their learning this first trimester. For example, I was so proud and excited by one student who so eloquently explained to his parents the impact that tsunamis can have and have had on groups of people in history. (He created a Google Slides presentation. This was his choice to show his learning in the Physical Geography Intro chapter.)

So... What is typically part of my CYOA menu? Here is a sample CYOA Menu.

Test. Yes. I do usually make the test available for some students to take. Some students just prefer a test and frankly... are good at taking tests. There is certainly a part of me that wants to make these tests much harder to provide these students even greater rigor. I feel these students are almost "copping out on creativity" and taking the test. Logistically,

Projects. There is usually an array of project choices provided by me here involving some degree of research and/or creativity. For example, students may choose a creative writing assignment related to the content covered, record a documentary or "talk show" sharing their learning, along with a wide array of other possible choices.

Lastly... True CYOA. I let go in my 8th Grade Class after our unit on Reconstruction and the New South. They weren't crazy about the choices I provided, so... I thought to myself... What is the goal of assessment? FOR STUDENTS TO SHOW LEARNING. I decided to provide the students with a learning goal/academic standard(s) and a deadline for when they would submit a project proposal to me.

Random Notes about CYOA:

I provide three days at the end of the Chapter for students to complete CYOA in school. The test, for those taking the test, will be held on the third day of CYOA.